Nitish Kumar Elected As Bihar NDA Leader, Stakes Claim To Form Govt For 10th Time

Last Updated:November 19, 2025, 17:56 IST

Nitish Kumar, who was first elected as Bihar CM in 2005, will take oath for a record 10th time after the NDA retained power with a landslide victory over the Mahagathbandhan.

News18

Janata Dal (United) leader Nitish Kumar will take oath as the Chief Minister of Bihar for a historic 10th time after he was elected as the leader of the Democratic Alliance (NDA) on Wednesday, following the alliance’s landslide victory in the recent Assembly elections.

This came after the JD(U) leader was chosen as the leader of its legislature party during a meeting of newly elected MLAs at his residence at 1, Anne Marg in Patna. “Nitish Kumar has been chosen as JD(U)’s legislature party leader by the newly elected MLAs," state minister Shrawon Kumar told news agency PTI.

After the JD(U) meeting, Nitish Kumar, accompanied by Vijay Chaudhary and Sanjay Jha, attended the NDA legislative party meeting in the State legislative assembly’s Central Hall, where he was elected as the leader of the NDA.

Kumar met Bihar Governor Arif Mohammad Khan in the evening, staked the claim to form the government. He also submitted a letter of support from all NDA constituents to the governor for the formation of the new government.

The swearing-in of the new government is scheduled for November 20, but leaders of the JD(U) and the BJP are reportedly yet to resolve their differences over key positions, with both parties negotiating over the Deputy Chief Minister posts and the Speaker’s position. BJP’s Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Sinha are likely to be retained as deputy CMs.

ALSO READ: Bihar Cabinet Formation: Suspense Over Who Gets What Ahead Of Thursday Swearing-In

The NDA swept back to power with 202 seats in the 243-member House, with BJP bagging 89, JD(U) 85, LJP (RV) 19, HAM-S 5 and RLM 4. The opposition’s Mahagathbandhan was decimated to less than 40 seats, with RJD getting 25 and the Congress getting six out of the 61 it had contested.

While JD(U) is expected to retain most of its existing ministers, the BJP is likely to bring in several new faces, sources told CNN-News18. Smaller allies, Chirag Paswan’s LJP (RV), Jitan Ram Manjhi’s HAM-S and Upendra Kushwaha’s RLM, are also set to find representation.

The swearing-in ceremony of the new government will take place in historic Gandhi Maidan on November 20. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several top NDA leaders, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, are expected to attend the event. Chief Ministers of NDA-ruled states, including Chandrababu Naidu from Andhra Pradesh, Conrad Sangma from Meghalaya, and Nephiu Rio from Nagaland, are likely to be present there.

News politics Nitish Kumar Elected As Bihar NDA Leader, Stakes Claim To Form Govt For 10th Time

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